Backhoe hits railroad overpass in Gorst

GORST — The Washington State Patrol says a backhoe being towed behind a state Department of Transportation truck hit a railroad overpass near the intersection of Highways 3 and 16 in Gorst, at about 4 p.m. Friday.

The Kitsap Sun repots a 50-year-old woman driving a 2001 Ford SUV called 911 to report the incident. Trooper Russell Winger says the woman told authorities she saw the backhoe arm hit the overpass, causing concrete to fall on her car, breaking her windshield.

The DOT truck and the woman pulled off the road.

The Navy, which owns the railway, plans to send structural engineers to check on it Monday. Navy Base Kitsap spokesman Tom Danaher says they can’t go sooner because overtime can’t be authorized because of the federal budget sequester.